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New Media
New media and Media Literacy New Media New media refers to the idea of content anytime, anywhere or on any digital device. The key component for it to be considered new media is that it is interactive. Characteristics of New Media: -Interactive user feedback -Unregulated content -Digital -Used to get information and interact once the individual has this knowledge Each new media idea started with a technological development that gave users the ability to reach a larger audience more quickly then they could have before. Examples of New Media: -Facebook -Twitter -Video Games Examples of Media not considered New Media: -Magazines -Movies Media Literacy Media literacy is the knowledge of the vast expanse of medias which people are able to analyze, evaluate and use to create messages in different formats. The idea behind this is to be able to understand how to be an expert in all new forms of media. Media Literacy involves helping people to understand the meanings of their interactions with new media types, and through that study, develop more control over the the influence of media on their actions and behaviors. In traditional definitions of media literacy the person is always described as the receiver. In the new media environment, a person is the receiver and the sender. Components of Media Literacy Personal Locus - Your personal goals and drive. Goals filter what you will seek out from media, and what you will ignore. The stronger the drive you have, the more likely you are to make the effort necessary to attain your goals. If your locus is week, you may let media have strong control over you information processing. Knowledge Structures - Sets of organized information in your memory. Knowledge structures are careful frameworks of information that we receive. We turn the information into patterns that we use to tell us what information we need and where to get it. We need knowledge structures is five areas - media effects, content, and industries, the real world, and our selves. These help awareness when seeking information and making decisions. Skills - Our tool kit. Skills that are most relevant to media literacy are analysis, evaluation, grouping, deduction, induction, abstraction, and synthesis. This toolkit of skills is used when we are exposed to media messages. Media Literacy is the New Media Environment Managing Identity through New Media New and mass media allows for the opportunity to alter identities, or even create new ones. You can literally alter or manage your identity through what you allow to be perceived. This can be positive in many ways. For example, if you are shy you can use social media to build confidence, which can relay to "real world" interactions. You can explore your personality in ways that you never have before. This can have both positive ascpects, but there is also a risk for negative outcomes. For example, there is such thing as internet bullying that has even lead to extreme circumstances like suicide. Negotiating Privacy When people display messages on these new media platforms, they risk sacrificing their privacy whether unintentional or not. Especially when sharing personal information, whether to friends, followers, or whomever, the risk that that information can be shared or reproduced, and once that happens, there is no controlling, well.. unless you're Beyonce! But for us common folk, any of those messages, images, or otherwise that is shared on these platforms, are archived and can be accessed at any time. Improving Set Skills A useful attribute of the virtual world is that it can be used to enhance or improve different skill sets. You can virtually learn how to play poker or teach yourself how to play the guitar! But there also runs the risk of developing anti-social skill sets, or becoming obsessive with these virtual platforms. References Potter, W. J. (2013). The expanding role for media literacy in the age of participatory cultures. In Media literacy (pp. 232-243). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.